Grant to us therefore and to all thy Children these lively evidences of thy favour in our unfeigned repentance and also our effectuall faith increasing daily for Iesus Christ our onely Lord and Saviour IIII. A prayer that wee may not deceive our selves in vayne conceite that we are Gods Children when wee are nothing lesse as the greatest part doe but that wee may come to strong assurance heereof by feeling a totall change in our lives and conversations OH most holy and most gracious Father we intreate yet further of thy divine Majesty that neither we nor any other of thy people and Children may deceive our selves in a vaine counterfeit show and imagination of repentance and faith as the greatest part of those do who living under the sound and in the light of the Gospell doe imagine therefore that they have repentance faith and are well enough when as aalas they have nothing lesse then any part of true sound and unfeigned repentance or any power of a lively faith Grant to this end that neither we nor they may rest untill wee finde in our selves the new-birth begun and increasing daily by a totall change wrought in us since the time that we beleeved in Christ as a speciall fruite thereof and that in every part both of our soules and bodies and also in the whole course of our life and conversation Stirre up all our hearts Oh holy Father to this purpose that wee may never give thee rest untill wee finde this thorow change and alteration both in our mindes and understandings from ignorance and blindnesse to the true knowledge not onely of our selves but also of thy heavenly Majesty and so of thy Sonne Iesus Christ likewise in our memories that instead of remembring vanities we may be able to keepe a holy remembrance of the things which concerne thy glory and our owne salvation with the good of our Brethren Good Lord worke the like change in our wils from following and obeying the will and lusts of our flesh to bee ever pliant and obedient to thy heavenly will Perswade our hearts that we may never give thee over untill wee likewise finde the same change in our affections that therein wee are conformed daily more and more to the holinesse of Christ both in our love hatred our joy our greefe in child-like feare holy security resting onâ—… selves onely in thy love and favour Make us to labour to finde also the same in our Consciences that wee may never give any rest to our soules untill wee finde our consciences quieted in this assurance that we are washed from our sinnes in the blood of our Lord Iesus Christ and that our owne hearts and consciences doe beare a continuall witnesse unto us of our upright conversation at least begun in us with a settled resolution ever to walke with thee our God all our daies Good Father never suffer us to bee at quiet untill wee truely finde the same alteration wrought by thy holy Spirit in like manner in our whole body making every sense and member thereof instead of the service of sinne to become servants of righteousnesse even thine owne servants Lord perswade us all that all these parts being thine Created and Redeemed to these ends thou dost not only require this holinesse in every one of them but that thou likewise workest it effectually in all thine whom thou hast ordained to life and salvation according to that measure of grace which thou arâ—… pleased to bestowe upon every one causing every one of them to strive forwards towards perfection that untill such a change bee begun in us in some measure never any one of us can have any true comfort that wee are thy Children or in thy favour and love and that onely as this change and comformitie to Christ Iesus our head increaseth so doth our comfort likewise increase in thee and contrarily as it decreaseth so doe we decay in our comfort and assurance Hearken unto us therefore Oh tender Father and worke mightily by thy holy Spirit in us in all thy Children that wee may never give thee any rest in our prayers untill wee shall attaine this full assurance for our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Mediator and Advocate V. A prayer that wee may finde in our selves not onely the generall but even all the particular markes of Gods Children namely those which our Saviour hath taught us to beg in his prayer OH Lord who art the only true perswader and seâ—…ler of the hearts and consciences of all thine elect perswade effectually both us and all other thy people that besides a whole change in our selves in all the qualities and faculties of our soules bodies thou hast given sundry peculiar markes and properties whereby thy Children may both certainly know themselves to bee thy Children and also by which they may be so knowne ought so to be esteemed amongst all thy people and that so much the more as they more lively and evidently have these markes upon them And namely good Lord perswade us of those which thou in this praier hast taught all thine to pray and to cry for daily whereby wee carry most lively the Image of our Lord Iesus our elder Brother Vouchsafe that we may bee most zealous of the glory of thee our heavenly Father and that with a holy zeale having the Spirit of burning and the Spirit of judgement joyned together which worldlings regard not being little or nothing at all acquainted with it Grant that wee all may seeke thy kingdome and righteousnesse first before all the things of this life whereas they that are of this world seeke onely or at least in the first place the things of this world Helpe and inable us good Father heerein to these ends that whereas carnall and unregenerate men seeke onely the satisfying of their owne lusts and pleasures and by all meanes to have their owne wils fulfilled little or nothing regarding to know or to do thy heavenly will we contrarily may seeke to know and fulfill the will of thee our heavenly Father as thou hast expressed it in thy holy and sacred word and that this we may make our very meate and drinke preferring it as did our Saviour before his daily foode Vouchsafe us thy holy Spirit that whereas carnall and worldly men are wont commonly for whatsoever they desire onely to use and seeke worldly meanes such as like themselves best whether warrantable from thee or no they make no matter seldome or never using to seeke and beg them as they ought from thy heavenly bounty onely in and by the meanes which thou hast appointed and doe as seldome unfeignedly returne thee thankes prayse when they have received their desires but are like the swine under the Acorne trees never looking up from whence the Mast falls sacrifising unto their nets ascribing all to
Watch and to doe all things which may tend not onely to the saving of your selves but also of our native Countrey and to make us a happie people so I assure my selfe that you will not disdaine these poore helps though they bee composed in a plaine easie and homely stile so as to leade the poorest by the hand and to support their weaknesse to helpe to confirme weake hands and wearie knees that all herein may helpe together It is not any painted much lesse Players eloquence that will pacifie our blessed God and defend us or put to flight our proud Adversaries Wee have had a great while too much experience of that in too many both of our Sermons and Prayers no no it must bee the evidence and power of the word of the Lord sent forth by the sighs and groanes of his holy Spirit though all heavenly eloquence rightly used be his most gracious gift and if ever now specially to be wished Thus have I studied to fit weapons as hee hath enabled mee against this time of need meet for all sorts that old and young noble and ignoble yea our most honourable Ladies may have their weapons from his Armourie so as all from the chiefe of them to the verie poore woman that grindes at the mill may in this battle helpe the Lord against the mightie and so keepe that bitter curse from all our land That Iael may strike the naile into the temples of Sisera And that thus in the â—…ud shee that sits at home may have part in the spoile and all of us ioyntly together when we shall see the Lord to have got himselfe the victorie with his owne right arme may sing the song of Deborah and of Miriam yea of all the host of heaven saying Praise and honour and glorie and power be unto him that sits upon the throne and unto the Lambe for evermore Pardon me worthie Ladies I humbly againe beseech you if so much presuming upon your Ladiships patience according to my assurance of your tender commiseration and true Christian humilitie I have so farre passed the bounds of an ordinarie Epistle in this matter of such extraordinarie moment and importance so nearely at this present concerning the safetie and happinesse of your Honours and of all the people of the Lord. If I may by the worthy ensamples of your honourable Ladiships provoke other of your noble ranke and condition as who have most leisure and best opportunitie and so others of his servants and children to a holy emulation seriously to meditate hereof and to put all these in practise onely so farre forth as his heavenly Maiestie cals all hereunto and expects these duties at the hands of everie soule I shall have an abundant reward of all my poore travels Or if I may but helpe to awake such of his servants as to whose view they shall be presented to labour to be for all the rest as the Angels for Lot to pull all from Satan to our Lord Iesus Christ and chiefly those of our owne native Countrey who are so seduced by Antichrist and by those who are sent abroad by him into the world to deceive and to draw all to his part Reade and consider and so farre as your Ladiships shall clearely see our Lord Iesus Christ leading you by the hand so farre follow him doing as he directs you So you shall not onely be sure to save your owne soules but also helpe to save all sorts and more specially all the Honourable and others who either shall looke at or heare of your worthie ensamples yea your native Countrey as was said before and all the true Churches of Christ and shall in like manner be helpers to gather in all the remainder of his Elect both Iewes and Gentiles so to prepare the way to his most glorious comming Thus shall you increase your owne eternall honour and happinesse and shall shine more and more in all heavenly graces and good works and in greater glittering before the Lord his Saints and Angels than by being adorned with all the gold pearles and diamonds which the whole earth can afford In which humble desire I take my leave and commend your Ladiships unto that Celestiall grace which performeth all the holy desires of them that feare him and trust in his mercie and so shall ever remaine Your Ladiships in all service and intire affection Iohn Brinsley TO ALL THE PLAINE AND simple-hearted people of our Land seduced by Poperie that they may forthwith bethinke themselves both from whom they have departed and also upon what grounds and to let them know that they must either returne to our Church againe or professe themselves to be of Satans Religion and so will remaine to fight under his banner against our Lord and Saviour BEloved in our Lord Iesus Christ so many of you as of whom we may hope that you belong to the election of grace for whom my hearts desire and continuall prayer to our God is that you may be saved give me leave to shew my unfained affection towards you in performing that service for you all which hath beene requested at my hands by such as wish much better to you than you doe unto your selves And that but only in these two things First in manifesting in what an estate and condition you presently stand and so your danger eternally and after in helping to procure that all the people of the Lord may cry instantly and joyntly for you that he may shew you mercie in opening your eyes to see how palpably you have suffered your selves to be deluded and in plucking you out of the verie jawes of that old Serpent Howsoever for the present you take it at my hands yet yâ— time will come as I certainly assure my soule that you will either blesse yâ— God of Heaven for the endevour of my ardent affection towards you if it shall be available for you or cry out against your selves with wringing of your hands and tearing of your haire when it will be too late and no more place found for your repentance Vouchsafe me this favour that being amongst the weakest of all my brethren I may leave all matters of higher dispute in maintaining the truth of Christ against the Iesuites and other Seminarie Priests by whom you have beene so inchanted and abused unto my more learned and reverend brethren who have alreadie entred the lists with them and to others exercised in that kinde whose bookes I acknowledge my selfe unworthie to beare and that sith what spare thoughts God hath vouchsafed mee from my necessarie calling I have specially employed in this kinde to helpe his people in holy meditations and other like devotions I may thus farre onely presume without offence First to put you in minde of your Baptisme vow and Covenant made with our blessed God from which you have so farre departed And in the second place to advertise you that you may consider well upon what grounds you have
and all other whom they seduce by their delusions But to omit all further comparisons for that it would bee too long and onely to content our selves with these and to come to a conclusion of this second point viz. That these things being so as every one who professeth Christs Gospell and holdeth the Religion of our Church must needs acknowledge and even the very consciences of our Adversaries will surely doe when they shall be awaked to answer as before the Lords Tribunall I now here appeale to every soule whether are more holy and so better their devotions or ours And thus I hope this second head of this monstrous destroying and devouring serpent is utterly smitten off for ever hereafter hurting any of Gods people who uprightly weigh these things and to whom it is given to beleeve the Gospell of Christ and withall to lay to heart that forewarning of Paul concerning the strong delusions of Antichrist amongst which these are not of the least And for them to â—…rag of the number of them being such is to boast of their store of poyson and pestilent infection enough to destroy not only themselves but even all the world And thus much for the second head To come therefore to the last head of this deadly Serpent which is yet more perillous and full of mortall poyson than the former viz. That they spend more time in their devotions than wee doe in ours and therefore their religion is better To cut off this likewise 1. I answer that their devotions being such as those which wee have heard viz. Idolatrous superstitious and against the direction of the Lord yea against his expresse charge like as all theirs are so farre as they are properly theirs the more time they spend in them the more they increase their sinne and so the wrath of God against themselves with their owne everlasting miserie so that to glorie of their many devotions spent in that kinde is but to glorie in their shame and in their sinne even in the launcing of their owne soules in a devotion like to the devotion of Baals Priests 2. Thus I answer that a Papist being a right Papist holding their usuall tenets and following their practice can never make one prayer which can be acceptable unto God nor doe any worke which can be pleasing for that they doe not onely condemne but also scorne yea persecute that true justifying faith which consists in a particular applying of Christ and in a peculiar and full assurance of Gods favour and love through Iesus Christ alone without which faith there can bee no sanctification for that all our sanctification flowes from our justification and our justification from this particular saving faith thus applying Christ to us and making him ours and so making us flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones whereby all our good works flow from him by his Spirit when wee are so united and incorporated into him thereby Now they denying and scorning that whereby they should bee made good trees can never bring forth any good fruit pleasing and acceptable unto the Lord For first the tree must be good and then will the fruit be good never before but scorning that whereby they should be made good trees and living members of Christ have his Spirit they can never do the works of Christ or bring forth the fruits of the Spirit 3. Though they could make never so many prayers and those good prayers in regard of the matter yet none of those prayers can ever be accepted but God threats to hide his face from them because their hearts and hands are full of bloud all of them at least the most devout of them wishing and seeking the bloud of all heretiques and so of us whom they principally account to be such amongst all other For their verie hating of us so mortally they are murtherers and much more hating and seeling to root us all out onely for our love to our God even for his names sake and for our cleaving fast to him alone and therefore cannot have eternall life abiding in them much lesse can any of their prayers be heard so long as they so remaine 4 Moreover for all their canonicall and set houres if they be either in such kinde of prayers as theirs are properly or else if they bee with the neglect of that particular calling wherein everie one of them should walke to eat their owne bread and not to bee as Caterpillers and idle bellies to live of the spoyle of the Church or Common-wealth much more if they be to deceive and to delude poore soules in an opinion of meâ—… it thereby and most of all in putting their works so done in place of the merit of Christ as in adding them to the treasure of the Church though by them they afflict and humble their bodies never so much yet all these the moe they are the greater is their sinne and miserie as was said before for who required any of the best of them done in this manner at their hands And much more any of those which are in themselves idolatrous or superstitious 5. For true and holy devotions and which are pleasing and acceptable unto God I doubt not constantly to affirme but that the poorest and weakest true Christian in our Church which rightly holding the doctrine of our Church and justified by the bloud of Christ through a lively faith in him makes conscience of all his wayes and so useth to pray according to his will in the name of Christ onely both spends more time in true holy Devotions and shall be more accepted with the Lord yea shall have more power to prevaile with his Majestie for whatsoever hee seekes and shall also bring more comfort to his owne soule and finde a farre greater reward from the Lord than the proudest Pharisaicall Papist in all the world For that the prayers of such an one so made are the prayers of faith unto which all the promises are made and contrarily all the prayers of the Papists so farre as they are Papists and so made can be no other but prayers of unbeleefe and so can looke to receive nothing because indeed they are nothing but sinne and displeasing to his Majestie And if the poorest Christian and hee that spends least time doe this what shall wee thinke of many thousands others who have set themselves unfainedly to seeke and walke with God Yea what shall we thinke of all those who knowing their owne sinnes and weaknesses and the continuall endevours of Satan against them with their owne necessities and the necessities of the Churches are driven to bee instant with the Lord day and night And chiefly what shall wee judge of all those who doe at this day truely take to heart the dishonours done unto his glorious Majestie the oppositions against Christs Gospell his crowne and dignitie with the state of his poore Churches and people therein the rage and
people of the Lord both do shall so finde it and that more more as we more labour according to it having also such sure directions and such undoubted promises every part and pecce of it containing promises to the prayer of faith and to every true beleeving soule Whereby we may have a certaine assurance from our Lord Iesus Christ the author of it that he will accompanie it to every soule that shall be so prepared and so use it as be hath directed with the power of his owne spirit and be wonderfull in granting all things which we so beg according to his heavenly will above all that any heart can conceive Remember also for thy better incouragement how every prayer herein tends to the appeasing of the Lords heavy indignation which hath beene thus far declared against his people and this by our joynt seeking to give him his glory in helping to reclaime and reduce us all to the obedience of his blessed Covenant of Grace wherein is our life and thereby to the deliverâ—…e and saving of all the Churches the eternall salvation of all belonging to that his election of grace be they now Atheists Papists wicked profane or whatsoever and so to prepare the way in the universall repentance of the Churches to the comming of the new Hierusalem and the eternall glory of Sion So that every one of us striving to pray faithfully and fervently and to put in practise whatsoever we thus pray for so farre as it concernes us shall in every prayer and petition be true helpers unto our Lord Iesus and his poore Church and for every such a service even every houre so spent receive our pay and in the end for all a rich and most full reward Let every prayer be aâ—… the Sunne beginning at thy selfe in thy meditations but diffusing and spreading the bâ—…ames into all the Churches chiefly to those which stand in most need thereof and to every one of Gods chosen in all the world so far as he shall inable thee and it concerneth them and from them ever reflecting to thy selfe againe Thou hast heard the sound of the cruell warres abroad the late prevailing of the enemie the overthrow of the Churches the new threatnings of those bloudy intendments against all the rest and the increase of their rage daily In these poore helps and the like the Lord offereth thee weapons and directs thee so to use them that thou maist helpe them in the remotest parts calls upon thee loud to come and helpe them assures thee of a blessed victorie in the end that then thou and all the true Church and people of the Lord shall sing the songs of Miriam and Deborah and of the 24. Elders and triumph with Christ eternally when all who have refused to helpe shall weepe and waile for evermore Thus intreating that the Lord may at length awake thee and all his people that we may each give up a happy account and escape the dreadfull doome and sentence for neglecting his glory kingdome and people and may hence forward carefully use all the meanes which his goodnesse affords unto us for our present and eternall happinesse I commend thee to his grace and rest Thy fellow-souldier in Christ thus striving with and for thee I. B. The Contents in generall 1. AN Epistle to all the plaine and simple hearted people of our land seduced by Popery or in danger thereof 2. A preparation to instant prayer according to the necessity of the times and the present estate of Gods poore Church 3. The prayer it selfe divided into severall parts according to the severall branches of that heavenly patterne which our blessed Saviour hath set before us all to follow containing in it the principall part 's of the Catechisme and how to make right use of all specially for these times and so in praying better to imprint and remember the whole 4. A continuall quickning and putting new life into our prayers that we may never be weary nor ever give the Lord over untill we have prevailed with his heavenly Maiesty In the preparative this is ever to be had in fresh memory That all who are to helpe in this worke are to labour to bring their hearts to a due consideration of all these things following and to have a right feeling and practise of them so farre as they concerne us 1. How the Lord hath bene wont to looke for some to helpe him in all the great deliverances and distresses of his Church and how he expects the seruice of all his at this day 2. What necessity there is of servent prayer at this time aboue all former times in what neede the whole Church and every particular member stands of our prayers what a right feeling of the miseries and estates of our poore brethren each of us ought to have and how we ought to seeke to helpe them herein to the uttermost of our power 3. What ones wee must be and how qualified in all things if wee looke ever to be heard in our prayers for the Churches and hope to have our persons accepted 4. How our prayers must be framed that they likewise may be sure to be pleasing and availeable with the Lord. 5. What assurance we may have of the power of our prayers so sent forth to prevaile with our God and to overcome 6. How without these things and much more if we be of contrary minds and dispositions our prayers are turned into sinne and do helpe to kindle the wrath and to draw downe the vengeance of the Lord more speedily and fiercely upon all 7. That every one must strive to be of the number of them who are helpers in this worke or perish and how graciously the Lord cals every one of us hereunto 8. Particular prayers for helping the Churches framed according to our Saviours direction and the present necessity of all 1 A Prayer that we may bee made fit and accepted into this service of prayer for the Churches 2 A prayer for increase of love to all Gods Children and that we may keepe a continuall fresh remembrance feeling of the miseries of all our distressed Brethren without which we cannot pray for them as we ought 3 A prayer that we may know God to bee our gracious Father in Christ and to grow in the assurance thereof daily without which we cannot prevaile with him 4 A prayer that wee may not deceyve our selves in our imagination that we are Gods children as most do so remaine unfit for this service 5 A prayer that we may finde in us the particular marks of Gods children for our further assurance and boldnesse in prayer 6 A praier for knowledge and right use of the meanes whereby we may be made Gods children so grow up in our confidence and power in prayer thereby 7 A prayer that al may understand how deare Gods children are to him that they may be to us likewise and we therby able to pray more earnestly for them
Sathan and Antichrist set up themselves to be obeyed and to destroy out of the earth all that seeke to obey the Lord. FOurthly we are to endeavour to bring our hearts to a lively meditation and weighing hereof How Antichrist all his limbes who persecute Gods Church all other wicked and vngodly men are so farre off from obeying his heavenly wil and commandement that they haue set themselves to satisfie onely their owne wicked lusts and willes and to disanull all the commandements of our blessed God both of his Law and Gospel and all his holy and blessed will revealed in the same and with them to destroy out of the earth all those that desire to obey him according to his heavenly word or that make any true and right conscience of his wayes and wil yea to put out all the true saving knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ to set up their owne wicked inventions in place thereof and how they are in a dreadfull manner proceeding heerein That as was touched before there is nothing but the mightie hand and power of our Lord Iesus Christ and the holy care and vigilancie of his Vicegerents whose hearts he shall in mercy raise up for himselfe and for his poore Church together with the prayers of his owne Children to prevent the same And withall we are to strive to bring our hearts to a true feeling how hard a matter it is for Gods owne deere people and children being free from these trials to lay these things to heart as they ought to doe and as his people haue beene wont and also how difficult it is for them which are tryed by these greevous afflictions which they undergo to submit themselves to Gods will and to make a right use of them all ◅nd to cry with our Saviour Father if it be thy will let this cup passe from us yet not our will but thy heauenly wil be fulfilled Blessed be thy holy name That so we may the more commiserate their estate and help them crying heerein The fifth particular Meditation of the second generall Concerning the innumerable miseries which our Brethren indure deprived of the outward comforts of this the better life how neere the like may be to us WEe are yet further in the fifth place by continuall and serious pondering of thē to bring our hearts to a more right fellow-feelling of those innumerable miseries mentioned before which our poore bretheren the deare children of the Lord do indure in every place where Sathan and Antichrist have prevailed especially by this late bloody sword wheresoever it hath come how they have been and still are in so many places deprived of all the comforts of this life of food raiment harbour libertie meanes of health and peace lying under famine nakednesse slavery sicknesse perill sword and all the miseries that follow upon them where the mercilesse idolatrous souldier is made drunke with the blood of Gods Saints having none to flie to to succour them but onely to cry unto the Lord. And more also enduring the famine of their soules having none to feed them with the word of life none to minister a word of comfort to refresh their fainting hearts And withall wee are wisely aforehand to lay to heart how nere the like miseries may be unto our selves how we have deserved to drinke of the same cup in a deeper measure for that wee haue not knowne the day of our long visitation which hath been in so much mercie but have abused these and all other our Blessings so as never Nation more And finally that wee are the faster haling and pulling these evils upon us for our want of commiseration for that our bowels have not nor yet doe earne over them for their innumerable miseries which they abide and that we have and doe so generally by our impenitency and induration fat our selves as against the day of slaughter How by those principally whom the Lord hath set over us for our foster fathers and mothers wee have hitherto been preserved from these thus farre forth through the tender mercy of our heavenly father and may hope that hee will so preserve us still i◅ we shall once be awaked to make a true and right use hereof The sixt particular Meditation of the second generall concerning the sinnes of the Churches and namely the generall abuse of the Gospell and the blessings which accompany it and that our sinnes are most heynous for our unthankefulnesse SIxtly wee are moreover to travell with our owne hearts to bring them to a right sense and feeling of our owne sinnes and the sinnes of other Churches and chiefly the most heynous and crying sins thereof which have provoked the Lord to so heavy displeasure thus to begin to proceede against so many of his own deer children abroad and amongst other that carnall Gospelling of barely professing the name of the Gospell but without any power or life thereof so much complained of in all the Churches That our blessed God having committed unto us the hidde treasure of his heavenly Gospell wee have not esteemed of it accordingly that we have onely professed it i◅ word for the most part but have not shewed forth any power of it as we ought That wee have not caused our light to shine so before others that yet sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death as that they seeing our good works might come from the kingdome of Sathan to God and glorisie our Father which is in heaven That thus he hath now alreadie so fearefully proceeded against so many of our brethren in forreigne parts for these and other sinnes according to the threatnings denounced in his Law and is so still going on forward in the heighth of his displeasure and yet wee for the most part remain without any true sense hereof and the best of us without that which we ought to have Then from them abroad we are to come home unto our selves and to our owne sinnes and heerein to consider seriously that our sinnes of this Nation may justly s◅eme more heynous then theirs or of any other people under heaven and therefore cry lowder for vengeance both in that the Lord hath so long called us to repentance not onely by the voyce of his Spirit in his heavenly Gospel and by as many of his worthy Messengers as euer he sent to any Nation before but also so long warned us and striven with us that he might spare us by all the other meanes that ever he used to reclaime any people both by mercies and iudgements and by his fatherly rods corrections more especially by such wonderfull preservations of vs from our just feares and so admirable deliverances when we were in the middest of the fire and when yet wee were without any sense or feare thereof or power to helpe or save our selves Also for that our outragious
the words of God be fulfilled so that they shall thus fight with the Lambe yet the Lambe shall overcome them for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are on his side are called faithfull and chosen And then even those same Kings the remainder of y◠ten hornes which have so long before and some of them do still fight against the Lambe some more furiously others less shall all in the time appointed hate the whore make her desolate and naked and eate her flesh and burne her with fire for that God will put into their hearts thus to fulfill his will And yet more also for our further assurance of this and to provoke our soules to loud and instant crying unto the Lord in this behalfe for the accomplishment hereof wee are to bring our hearts to a ioyfull Meditation and remembrance how our blessed God hath discovered that scarlet-coloured Whore to all the world and more now then ever heretofore both in all this bloody rage against him and against all his poore Churches and Children and their cruell intendments against all the rest even against every soule of us truly professing his name And also how he hath laide her forth to bee visibly beholden of all in all her filthy whoredomes and inticements to wit all those abhominable doctrines devices slanders and blasphemies against him and against his heavenly word and above all in the Powder-treason wherein Sathan shewed himselfe in his cheefest workes both of lying and murther in a speciall manner to all the world and above all former times wherein wee are to hope that Antichrist received his deadly wound which all the power of hell shall never cure againe and that in Gods due time hee will fall downe of a sodaine as a Deere or other like beast deadly smitten when he hath by his owne violence spent himselfe That our Lord Iesus Christ hath clearly foreshewed the destruction of that Whore of Babylon that childe of perdition than man of sin and of all his followers yea of every one that receives his marke on his forehead or in his right hand or that is any way on his side to fight against him That hee hath not onely made all the hoast of heaven even al his holy Angels and Saints both in heaven and earth to reioyce and sing Hallelujah for the condemning of the great Whore the victorie given unto the Saints but also hath made proclamation with a loud voyce by the Angell in the Sunne and this to all the Fowles that fly through the middest of heaven viz. to all the Kings and Princes Captaines and Souldiers that shall fight under his glorious Maiesty and for him That they should come eate the flesh of Kings and of great Captaines and of all mighty men and even of all those both great and small that followed the Beast that is to be enriched with their spoyles That he will destroy every one that hath not his name enrolled in his booke to bee on his side that is every one who is not of his called chosen and faithfull flocke yea every one that doth not so strive to prepare himselfe thus to fight for him and under him so as he may be sure to prevaile and overcome and remaine with him faithfully fighting unto the death untill hee have the crowne of life The ninth particular Meditation of the second generall how our Lord Iesus Christ is that everlasting Amen and comming quickly FInally we are never to rest untill wee have brought our hearts to a comfortable reioycing that our Lord Iesus Christ is that everlasting Amen that faithfull and true witness who will performe every word that hee hath spoken in his due time and in such sort as he hath revealed the same though the particular manner bee yet unknowne to us That hee is comming quickly to render to every one according to his workes That wee are not to give our hearts any rest untill we are able thus to cry in faithfulness with all the Saints and all the hoast of heaven Amen Amen Our Lord Iesus Christ onely reigneth for evermore Amen Amen The third generall Meditation Thirdly what manner of ones we must bee whom the Lord so calleth and whome hee will admit and accept to bee his helpers herein and whose prayers shall be available with him according to the same heavenly direction in Lords praier THus have wee done with these first points for our preparation by bringing our hearts to a right consideration of the course which the Lord is wont to take in saving his Church and a true feeling of the necessity of our prayers at this time Now whēby our due pondering of all these things and the like and never resting untill by our deepe Meditation of them we can have them as it were before our eyes continually so to see lively the urgent necessity of these our Prayers and that we can thereby heare the Lord crying loud unto us to helpe him and his Church herein we are in the next place as carefully to see that we be such as he calleth being qualified in all things accordingly if ever wee will get sound assurance to our owne soules to prevaile or to be accepted And this wee may learne likewise out of our Saviours direction in that heavenly patterne for prayer then which all the wisedome of the world can never give us a more sure and plaine rule To which end also as for all the other before mentioned we ought the more diligently to looke unto it and to Meditate of it and that in this manner The first particular Meditation of the third generall To make sure that wee bee the true children of our heavenly Father Here wee are to stirre up our selves to this dutie 1. That having the former view ever before our faces as much as we are able and this true feeling ever also in our hearts and withall this lively voyce of Christs loving call to helpe him and his Church stil sounding shrill in our eares wee labour day and night to make sure that we be the true Children of our heavenly Father full of Child-like and naturall affections to his heavenly Majesty That wee have thus put on the Image of our Lord Iesus Christ and are hereby as holy Peter speaketh partakers of the divine Nature not earthly but heavenly minded burning in the love of his Majesty of his word ordinances and Children full of faith in Christ Iesus and of all dutie and holy obedience that in all fulnesse of assurance through our Lord Iesus Christ wee can by the power and witnesse of his holy Spirit cry unto him Abba O Father and seeke to bee as instant for all our Bretheren as for our selves labouring ever to grow herein and in the acknowledgment of our owne vilenesse by nature and of our unworthynesse either to bee called his children
unto it in delivering restoring and beautifying of it like as hee hath done in all former Ages And therefore wee are never to rest travelling with our owne hearts in this untill we can principally labour with the Lord for them that they of all other and so all in their places may be indued with all excellent graces not onely to manifest themselves in the first ranke according to their high dignities the true Children of our heavenly Father thus shining before all the rest of their Bretheren for the better prouoking and encouraging of all the rest and the greater glory of the Lord but also with those guifts which are proper and peculiar unto their places and callings And that wee likewise may all of us be very carefull to performe unto them the duties belonging to them in regard of those high places and callings like as the honor and obedience of right appertaining to them so with all true thankfulnesse for all the blessings which wee injoy by them And in our thankfulnesse we â—…e never to rest untill wee can from our soules performe unto them these three specially 1. Acknowledgment of their authoritie from God and that they are in his place 2. Hearty affections as to Gods Lieutenants for his cause 3. Above all instant prayers for them day night And in these our prayers that we can cry for them not onely as for every common member as was saide to bee able to walke before all their people as living Lawes in all holy duties of Christianitie but in those of their particular places and callings and bee furnished with all excellent giftes and endowments of Gods Spirit for their happy managing of the same As first and principally that they may bee made able and resolute to promote the Religion of the Lord alone and all true godlinesse and that with all their power defacing the contrary and destroying all ungodnesse in all their Dominions as did those Worthyes David Iehosaphat Hezekiah Iosiab and Nehemiah being thereby so renowned and set out for such blessed examples to all succeeding Ages And in the second place that they may procure each way the good of the people committed to them as tender Foster-fathers repressing the wicked being careful that all holy meanes be used every where for the reclaiming and saving every soule in their Dominions and of bringing them in their armes to the Sion and Sanctuary of the Lord and all hinderances thereof removed And that to these ends they may be all as 〈◊〉 Magistrates men of courage fearing God dealing truely hating covetousnesse no respecters of persons And next unto these that we rest not till we bee able to pray likewise for all excelling in any eminency either outward or inward whereby they may doe any speciall service to our Lord Iesus Christ to his Vicegerents or to his poore Church and people As namely That their hearts bee not lifted up by their guifts favours or places as is ordinary in each estate and so wrath come upon them as it did on that good Hezekiah for this very sinnâ—… but that contrarily they may both ever remember and acknowledge all their preferments to be from his heavenly bounty and so to be more humbled by them as having more to answere bee accountable for giving to his divine Majestie alone all the glory thereof And secondly that they may bee inabled as thy deare Children to employ all those guifts carefully as their talents committed unto them by the Lord to that end and purpose as may make most for his glory the furtherance of his Gospell with the greatest benefit and good to our selve and to all the people of the Lord. The second particular Meditation of the third general That we can and use to seeke his honor above all other things SEcondly we must never give the Lord over untill we have brought our harts in order not to seeke our owne honour or greatness nor our selves any way for our selves alone but onely in all things to seeke the honour of our heavenly Father being zealous of his glory And that wee can pray earnestly that our selves and all other may studie to set foorth his glorie before all the sonnes of men euen the glory of his Wisedome Goodness Mercy Iustice Power and Truth shining bright in all his workes both in every creature and also in all his judgements and mercies and chiefely in his heavenly word admiring and extolling his great name in every one of them That we can mourne with holy Moses for all the dishonours done unto him and for all the provocations whereby he is provoked choosing rather to have our names put out of his booke then that his great name shold be blasphemed by his malicious enemics especially in their triumphes for the destruction or miseries of his people The third particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke his honour chiefely in the aduancement of the Scepter of Iesus Christ. THirdly we are never to rest untill we can rejoyce in the truth of our hearts that we have seâ—… our selves to seek by all our might the advancement of the Scepter of his heavenly kingdome even of the heavenly Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ and so the comming of his kingdome thereby with power first the kingdome of Grace and after the kingdome of Glory desiring earnestly to that end the propagating and spreading of his Gospel over all the world the gathering forth of all his elect from al parts with the saving of all his people seeking all other things onely for him and for his honour that he may reigne as Lord and King That wee never give him rest until wee feele him reigning in our hearts by his blessed Word and Spirit making us to mourne withall for all the despight done unto his heavenly Majesty in the contempt of that his glorious Gospel and chiefly for all the prevaylings of Sathan and Antichrist the setting up againe of their abhominable Idolatry in any place and so for al the outragious wickednesse committed agaynst our Lord Iesus Christ his crowne and dignity and also agaynst his poore people The fourth particular Meditation of the third generall That we seeke to honour him eâ—…er in the full accomplishment of all his heavenly will FOurthly that our hearts beare us witness that wee haue attayned to be such as are wholly set not to seeke the execution of our owne lustes or will but that the whole will and good pleasure of our heavenly Father may bee fulfilled by us and all other his Children especially in all things wherein he hath or shal reveale himselfe what his good pleasure is And that we have begun earnestly to indevor our selves to be as chearful in the right execution and accomplishment thereof in all parts as
lively evidences thereof which is the chiefest of all though they be such as are deere and pretious unto the Lord and who have his holy Spirit for their earnest albeit onely for a time they want the sense feeling of it as it hath beene in many a soule in our memory and is at this day whereupon they have bene are so usually prayed for in many of our best Congregations from whence they looke for some helpe comfort by the praiers of Gods people if I say it bee so with them what can wee thinke shall become of the ungodly and impenitent sinners especially of those enemies of Christ and his Servants when their consciences shall bee throughly awaked and much more after this life when their case in regard of any comfort shall be contrary to the estate of these poore Servants of the Lord. If the righteous shall scarsly bee saved as Peter speaketh and as wee see how hardly it goes with these last mentioned where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare If the paine of one tooth alone be oft so extreame that it permits no sleepe nor rest day nor night when wee have all kind of other comforts to mitigate and ease it what can wee thinke the torments of all the parts both of soule and body must needs be in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone for ever where the very hope of all other comforts shall be utterly taken away which notwithstanding we are certainly assured must come upon all impenitent and ungodly sinners because the word of the Lord doth tell us so most plainly and so oft warnes us of it The Lord cals from heaven continually upon all who doe not repent them of their sinnes come to helpe him to thinke seriously hereof as which alone shall bee sufficiently able to convince and condemme all that ever have heard the holy Scriptures or but these fearfull examples alone The third Meditation How God herein sets before us all life and death blessing and cursing FInally we are to bethinke our selves in our deepest and best Meditations how the Lord here sets before every soule life and death blessing and cursing Life if we will but now set our selves seriously with all our hearts to seeke to pass all these difficulties never giving rest to our soules untill by our Meditations and prayers and the right use of all other holy meanes which in his word he hath prescribed us wee have attained so to beleeve and so to obey yea in all things so to doe as hee requireth at our hands that wee may be fit to helpe him and his poore Church Then we shall have boldnesse whatsoever come to passe we shall not need to feare though all our enemies were so many Divels wee shall not be dismaid for the adventuring and loosing of all Houses Goods Friends Parents Children no nor Life it selfe but contrarily in the middest of death wee shall be bold and couragious as Lyons for our Lord and Saviour knowing that nothing can separate us from Gods favour and in the losse of all we shall gaine all bee in all even in the middest of death more then Conquerors thorow him who hath so loved us and hath given himselfe for us and shall with him triumph over all our enemies eternally Death and cursing he likewise sets before us threatneth them unto us undoubtedly without unfeigned repentance whereof wee can have little hope if he now calling upon us thus earnestly to helpe him by the offer of so many mercies and such blessednesse on the one side we will not shew our true obedience and uttermost indeavour therunto and if hee denouncing so many miseries on the other side wee still refuse to harken living securely and doe not regard this gratious offer of mercy That when our feare shal come upon us like a whirlewind wee shall fly at the shaking of a sword even at the very report of our enemyes prevailing much more of their approching so neere unto us Our hearts shal be then as Nabals as dead as a stone and so wee shall live in a perpetuall expectation of the just wrath and vengeance of God to seize upon us everlastingly so that we can never expect any comfort after Yea withall we are wisely and deepely to meditate hereof how he bids us to chuse life that wee and ours may live by loving him obeying his voice cleaving fast unto him because he is our life and the length of our dayes And also how hee bidding us will also thereby give us strength to doe it so farre as we shall be accepted If we but beleeue his blessed Commandement and his Covenant of grace shall set our selves in the name and by the power of our Lord Iesu Christ to do what we can in and by the use of all the means which he hath ordained for obtayning this strength and grace so to helpe him and if we wil be as earnest as vigilant and industrious for attaining of this honour as we would be for the attaining of any earthly honour or riches For we cannot thinke that ever any man who sought this after this manner was rejected to wit if hee sought it as for treasure that is early earnestly and constantly And therefore all who wil not thus set themselves to obey help the Lord have their mouths for ever most justly stopped being left altogether without excuse And thus much also for this last generall Meditation and how we may in all things be in some good measure rightly and fitly prepared to helpe in instant and powerfull prayer for the poore Churches of Christ according to all whereunto the Lord now calles us thereby to have good hope to prevayle with him To wit when wee shall finde our hearts so affected towards his heauenly Majesty as to preferre him his glory causes before our selves so truly shewing that we love him with all our heart soule strength and might and our neighbour as our selfe as hee commandeth being so affected likewise towardes them and doing so to them as we would have them do to us if wee were in their estate and case All which we must everie one strive unto or perish if wee but onely as wee saw before stand on the other side in the day of our Brethrens affliction and much more if we will not bee moved by any one meanes nor all the meanes together whereby the Lord calls us thus to come to helpe him now I say that hee even our Lord and Saviour proclaimes to all our consciences before all the world that hee stands in such need of our helpe and so expects it hourely at our hands And this may suffice to prepare us all to this happy worke of true humiliation and of instant prayer for the Churches onely let mee put you in minde that our Lord Iesus Christ to the end that hee
knit to that holy and melting harted King Iosiah whose death they so lamented as for the taking away of theyr shelter and even the verie breath of their nostrils Heare us Oh tender Father and let the bowelles of thy fatherly compassion earn over thy deere children in thus inclining the hearts of all unto them to favour and succour them especially those of them who have alreadie suffered so much adversity bene so long humbled under thy hand for thy deere Son our Lord Iesus Christ his sake our onely Mediator and Aduocate Amen VIII A Prayer that we may all bee able to lift uppe our eyes and hearts unto our heavenly Father alone and to look beyond all earthly meanes in all the troubles and perilles of the Churches OH heavenly Father who over ruledst the counsels of Herod Pontius Pilate and all the people of the Iewes and madst them all to serve for bringing to passe thine owne eternall decree for thine owne everlasting praise and the comfort of thine own chosen flocke Lift vppe the eyes and hearts of all thy Children now in this extreme rage and fury which is against us and especially the eyes hearts of all those of us who have endevoured to be faithfull with thee in these sinfull times and to walke humbly before thee as Enocke Noah Abraham Moses and Daniel Grant that wee may looke up to thee onely who though thou art so gloriously exalted in the highest heavens yet lookest upon all the Sonnes of men and seest all the wronges that are done unto thy Children and hearest every of their sighes and groanes writest them in thy booke puttest their teares in thy bottle and in thy due time wilt make this knowne before all the world howsoever the wicked and ungodly thinke not so but have removed thee farre out of their sight Good Father pardon this sinne unto all thy Children that in the daies of our peace we and all thy Churches have amongst other sinnes made flesh our arme withdrawn our hearts from thee the living God we have so much looked at our earthly fathers of all sortes and to earthly meanes as that we have sayd as they did of Iosiah that under the shelter of those great trees we should be safe from all the violent stormes which could be raised vp by Sathan and from all scorching heate of persecution so that in regard of them we have thoght we should never be removed thou Lord hadst of thy goodness by them made vs to stand so strong Lord make us to see how justly for this sinne thou hast taken away these earthly Fathers from some of the Churches weakned them in others and mayest now most justly even for this verie sinne alone so infeeble the armes of all the rest as that they cannot helpe thy Children yea that thou mayest contrarily so turn their hearts agaynst thy deerest Children for it that insteed of helping them they may rather joyne hands against them until such time as we shall see our sinne even in this behalfe amongst all other our heinous transgressions and turne our eyes agayne onely to thee our heavenly Father and cheefe Protector Oh grant unto us that wee may never rest before that time that by our unfeigned repentance for this and all other our sinnes and by our Prayers and teares crying all about thy feete we have caused thee to relent towards us thy bowels of compassion to earne over us in hearing our sighes and cryes and in seeing so many of us so lef◅e unto the hands of all thine our bloody merciless enemies Lord make vs all able to looke up thus to thee and by faith to behold thee sitting in heaven laughing to scorne all the devises of thine enemies guiding there the great wheele and by it ordering turning and over-ruling all these inferiour less wheeles heere below that though they seeme to be carried violently in a contrary motion yet wee may see all of them serve and by thy infinite wisedome and power made to helpe to accomplish thine eternall decree in whatsoever thou hast appointed concern̄ing the gathering in of all the remainder of thine elect both Iewes and Gentiles the comming downe of the new Ierusalem the present and eternall glory of thy Sion with the vtter ruine downfall of Babel the endlesse condemnation and destruction of that Whore of Babylon and of all thine enemies for evermore Lord make us rightly to understand fully to know that as Herod and Ponti◅s Pilate and all the people of the Iewes did not nor could doe any other thing against our eldest Brother thy deere Sonne our onely Lord and Saviour then that which thine owne counsell had determined for his highest advancement at thy right hand for thine owne eternall praise the sending downe of thy holy Spirit in that wonderfull manner the publishing of thine heavenly Gospell the calling of the Gentiles the inlargement of the Church and spreading it over the whole earth so at this present time neither Sathan nor Antichrist Mahomet nor all the mighty and subtilest enemies of the world can doe any other thing against thy Church or Children then that which long before even from before the foundation of the world was laid thou hast ordained and that for the full accomplishment of whatsoever thou hast foretold concerning both thy Church and Children and also concerning thine enemies and for preparing the way to thy glorious appearing Lord helpe us in this that looking over all things heere below wee may not onely stand still to see what thou wilt doe but that we may rejoyce in faith beholding thee thus ordering and disposing all things to these blessed ends and that thou art making all Angels Principalities Powers yea Sathan and all his instruments with all their rage malice might and subtilty in the very extreamest butchering slaughtering of thy Saints to worke together for the effecting heereof that so wee may rejoyce even heerein with joy unspeakable glorious and in this our blessed estate Lord make us to glorifie thee in this confident assurance that though we should be killed all the day long as many of our Brethren thy deere Children lately have bene for thy name sake and as wee are indeed in the designes of thine and our enemies accounted as sheepe for the slaughter yet that in all wee shall ever bee more then Conquerors thorow that blessed one in whom thou hast loved us Yea deere Father make us to triumph in this that whatsoever wee shall or can suffer in the meane time for thy names sake as other our Brethren do at this day and Sathan threatneth us that yet neither tribulation anguish persecution famine nakednesse bonds imprisonment perill or sword can ever seperate us from thy love in Christ Iesus our Lord if once we have the full evidences in our soules that wee are thy
speedy and unfeigned repentance thou wilt cut them offâ—… from ever seeing thy celestiall Canaan and much more make all them to know this specially who with the tenne spyes after they have not only searched out the good land tasted and brought to others the fruite of it but filled them selves at least with the outward blessings and daynties thereof have yet either turned backe or brought an evill report upon it even upon thy sacred religion and Gospell to discourage their Brethren thereby to cause them to be faint-hearted and as much as â—…veth in them to turne into Aegypt againe Oh Lord most holy most dreadfull and most terrible make us all ever to remember that of all those hundreth thousands who so tempted and dishonoured thee by their unbeleefe in the way towards the earthly Canaan never any one could enter in but thou causedst their catkasses to fall in the wildernes untill they were utterly consumed and for those that brought that vile slaunder upon the good land thou causedst them to die by a terrible plague and that therefore these may justly expect a more heavy wrath and vengeance from thy Majesty Oh gracious Father give all thine owne faithfull people and children the same hearts of Caleb Iosua especially all them who as those thy two worthy servants have unto this day constantly stucke unto thy sacred Majesty in the conscionable profession of thy heavenly truth that we may all couragiously and boldly give testimony unto the happinesse of this good land into which thou hast brought us this good way of life wherein thou hast set us that this indeed to wit the sincere profession of thy name according to thy sacred word and as it is confirmed by our good Lawes is a land that floweth with milke and hony and the Lord if he love us will continue it unto us and increase the glory and happinesse of it untill he have brought us into his heavenly Canaan Inable us good Father thus to incourage our owne hearts and the hearts of all our faithfull Brethren and for all other to perswade them by all meanes out of thy blessed word that they rebell not against thee the Lord of hoasts neither feare the proud enemies of the Church but onely that we may joyntly be truly humbled before thy glorious Majesty for all our sinnes whereby we have thus provoked thy greatnesse and holinesse thus caused thee to muster thine armyes and to strengthen thine and our enemies against us to cause thine owne people in so many places to fly before them Oh Lord inable us by thy holy Spirit that wee may never leave wrastling with thee untill we have prevailed with thy Majesty thus farre that thou shalt incline the hearts of all especially all those whom thou hast set in thy place for the saving of thy people that they and all their dominions even all the Churches and every soule of thine may seeke thee in sack cloth and ashes in fasting weeping and mourning never giving over crying to thee through thy Christ untill thine anger be appeased and thou bee reconciled to thy people againe for that then undoubtedly as thou hast bene wont to doe in former Ages thou wilt make thine and thy Churches enemies to be but bread for thy people that all the world shall see that their sheild is departed from them and that thou the Lord of hoasts art with us and that wee shall not need to feare them any more Oh gracious God most tender Father cause all the Churches to know and especially us of this sinfull nation that hitherto we and so many as have beene preserved thou alone hast spared and saved us of thy rich mercy and at the instant requests importunings of thy Moseses which have bene amongst us And more specially cause all unbeleevers to know that thou now speakest to them as thou diddest to thy people in the wildernesse That notwithstanding thy great mercies and the sparing of us at the cries of thy faithfull ones yet all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. that all those who have seene thy glory the good land and great deliverances which thou hast given to thy people and yet have so oft and doe still tempt thee not obeying thy voyce shall never see that thy heavenly Canaan which thou hadst so promised and offered unto them nor any other that so provoked thee by their unbeleefe That onely thy faithfull servants who as Caleb and Iosuah having another Spirit doe follow thee still remaining still more constant and faithfull even in the greatest timerousnesse and backsliding of the multitude these onely thou wilt bring into the heavenly Canaan and they alone shall inherit it for evermore Heare us Oh most gracious God and loving Father and keepe us by the mighty power of thy blessed Spirit that alwayes remembring what thou hast done for us and considering aright of the miserable estate of all under Sathan and Antichrists tyranny and our owne happy estate and condition under our Lord Saviour Iesus Christ we may all joyntly strive fast forward towards the full fruition of thine owne glorious Majesty in the heavenly Canaan and in the new Ierusalem eternally Grant that in the meane time the unfeigned repentance of all thy true Churches and people for all our sinnes may bee one of thy effectuall and principall instruments for the pulling of the remainder of thy people forth of Sodome and of Aegypt and to cause all thine to fly speedily and get themselves out of Babilon that by escaping her sins they may likewise escape her plagues and finally that it may thus prepare the way to the calling and conversion of the Iewes the gathering in of all thy Israel the speedy comming of our Lord and Saviour for our eternall deliverance the everlasting glory of thy Sion and of us all for evermore Heare us Oh most gracious Father in these our requests and accept of this our poore thanksgiving for this inestimable favour even for Iesus Christ his sake our onely Lord and Saviour X. A prayer that wee and all the Churches in token of our thankfullnesse to our blessed God for our deliverance from Babilon for making us his people and Children and his Covenant with us may set our selves to honour him more then ever wee have done especially in a more conscionable and chearefull walking in all his holy Lawes and Commandements that hee may alwaies keepe us from that bloody tyranny OH Lord most holy most great and glorious who hast made all things for thine owne sake even the wicked for the day of evill Perswade the hearts of all thine owne people that thou hast thus created formed all things for thine owne honour that thy great name might ever be magnifyed in all the world and especially by thine owne children and to this end
entred into for our selves our children and posterity and every one bound our selves by thy holy Sacraments chiefly by our Baptisme vow yet wee have all heynously transgressed wee have cast it behinde oâ—…r backes trampling under foote thy blessed Commandements thy statutes judgments Hereby good Lord have wee most justly brought all this thy fierce wrath upon so many parts of thy Church and also provoked thee to threaten most righteously the like or more heauy to come upon us all untill wee all see our unthankfulnesse and our breach of Covenant and that we do all joyntly humble our selves under thy most mighty and most fatherly hand to give thee thy glory by renewing and confirming this our Covenant in our true and our unfeigned repentance Wee therefore doe most freely acknowledge that wee have all most grievously and fearfully transgressed even in all the Churches against that first and great Commandement yea indeed against every one of thy most sacred Commandements in a high degree in one kinde or other and that in a speciall manner and as it were with a high hand For concerning thy inward worship and giving thee thy due glory by setting thee up as chiefe in our harts to adore and worship thee as our glorious God We humbly confesse for our selves and brethren even against us all that all of us who in the middest of this shining light of thy heavenly word doe still content our selves to liue in ignorance and blindnesse or in any heynous sinne and especially in Athiesme or prophannesse have set up Sathan the God of this world in our hearts to be our God and that hee it is that ruling there so blindes the eyes of all such least the light of thy heavenly truth should shine unto them and they should be conuerted and saved thereby Multitudes of vs O Lord thou knowest have set up the world as our God very many of us the riches other the pleasures and others of us the honour and pompe of it to adore many other that Antichrist the Pope of Rome as al who are Popishly affected in all the Churches who all preferre his decrees and ordinances before thy heavenly word for that all these and likewise all others who adore or honor any creature with that honour which is due to thy heavenly Majesty alone or above thee have and do preferre all these before thee and set them up in thy place But very few there are amongst us Oh most holy Father who have so set thee up as wee ought to doe our most glorious Lord and God that is so as to set our whole heart upon thee and to put our whole affiance and confidence in thee to love thee with all our heart soule strength and might to bee zealous for thee for thy sincere worship and truth but we are rather good Lord very generally as the Laodicean luke-warme worthy to bee spewed out of thy mouth Yea Lord wee have in verie many of us increased our sin in this in hating and scorning all such as have beene more zealous for thee and for thy truth then our selves are in that so many of us have sought utterly to destroy all power of true godlinesse in whomsoever it hath appeared yea that so very many of us have opposed our selves as it were fighting even against thine owne sacred Majestie like the Gyants before the Flood And for thy outward worship the sinne of multitudes of us Oh Lord hath beene and is no lesse to prouoke thy holines as in all those in each of the Churches who insted of worshipping thee onely according to thy blessed word in Spirit and truth have and do worship and do adore thee by Images Crucifixes the like Idolatrous or superstitious devises or by any will-worship whatsoever devised by man without the warrant of thy sacred word although those worships have beene most goodly in shew and pretended to most faire and holy ends And much more in and by all those who have or doe worship Sathan thy sworne enemy in thy place using divellish Arts to effect their desires and to bring to passe strange things by his helpe This wee confesse likewise what multitudes there are in the Churches who have and doe worship thee hypocritically meerely in outward ceremonies and bare shewes of religion and also of those who halt between thy pure and sincere religion and the religion of Antichrist And so likewise of such as worship mereely as the Pharifes being forward in small matters in tithing Mint and Cummin omitting in the meane time the most weighty and namely all true faith and unseigned repentance and true turning unto thy Covenant But for those Oh gracious Father who by their conscionable walking doe manifest to the world that they sincerely worship thee in spirit and truth when we consider of them aright how few they are wee may wonder at thy goodnesse in sparing us for their sakes seeing they have beene not onely so few but also so hated scorned abused for thy sake alone Moreover for taking thy glorious name in vaine Oh holy Father we acknowledge againe to our owne shame that we have made our selves extreamly guilty and worthy of all thy plagues for that besides all the fearfull oathes and blasphemies daily belched out against thy greatnes thou hast so sensibly spoken unto us by thy blessed word and by all thy glorious workes chiefly by threatnings and judgements upon our selves more mildly and upon our brethren in a more fearfull manner and yet wee have not hearkned unto thee And moreover for that besides all these thou hast spoken unto us by the voyce of thy mercies in all thy great deliverances and miraculous preservations of us in this Nation specially and through the incredible continuance of all thy blessings still by them all calling us all to know thee and to meete thee by an unfeigned humiliation before thy vengeance be poured out upon us for all our sinnes And for that yet we have not heard to tremble before this glorious name The Lord our GOD and unfeignedly to turne unto thee by our unfeigned repentance but have hardned our hearts to increase and hasten thy wrath by all our blasphemies and sinnes whereby wee have caused thy great name to bee blasphemed amongst the enemies unto this very day And finally for our Sabbaths Lord wee have and doâ—… confesse againe to the covering of our faces that we have so polluted them in all the Churches as that all of us doâ—… and must needs acknowledge that even for this sinne alone had wee no other wee have most righteously deserved that thou shouldst so begin to kindle such a fire of thy vengeance in the gates of all our chiefe Cityes as should not be quenched like as thou hast so fearfully done in forraine parts so often threatned us our selves heere at home Yea holy Father we have made our selves worthy that thou shouldest thus proceed in thy fierce wrath to
Religion â—…end wholly to â—…ke us faithfull and loyall subjects to pray for our Kings Princes and to have them in our hearts to dye and 〈◊〉 live with sâ—…r them and that we dare not have an evill thought against the Lords Annoynted but yâ— in our patienâ—… sufferings they may see their duties their devotions â—…ending through the subtilty of Sathan and the Iesuites to make them cleane contrary and to carry false and tray toâ—… hearts against the Lords Annoynted unlesse the Lord 〈◊〉 wondefully over-rule â—…hem by his holy Spirit For they must of necessity bee so 〈◊〉 for maintaining 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 devotions and obeying their directors and ghostly fathers as to 〈◊〉 to destroy whatsoever 〈◊〉 hinder it to accoâ—… 〈◊〉 a most meritorious act to destroy all 〈◊〉 principally the chiefe of them Make them to weigh this with themselves how our devotions are made with understanding and so in faith and with a holy zeale without vaine repititions their 's without all understanding in a blinde devotion with 〈◊〉 babling repetition which thou condemnest and 〈◊〉 Finally Good Lord cause them all at length in mercy to understand how our devotions are such as helpe us to live a true Christian life in the practise of all the duties of piety and righteousnesse in examining our spirituall groweth in grace in heavenly meditations and contemplations praiers thanksgivings and the like all directing us to place our whole confidence for our salvation and whatsoever else onely upon thy rich mercy in Iesus Christ ascribing all our salvation to him and his merite alone their 's instead of these workes of piety are in their Masses Dirâ—… and Letanies even to Saints numbring and repeating upon their beads their 〈◊〉 Nosters Creeds Ave Maries and such other and that in an unknowne tongue without any understanding or right edification So likewise good Lord make them to see and considâ—… withall how they set their confidence in these and other their superstitions workes namely and principally in the merite of the virgin Marie and of other Saints in Indulgences and Pardons even for thâ—… 〈…〉 a num ber of such 〈◊〉 lying vanities whereupon when they come to their death 〈…〉 beth â—…ke themselves a 〈◊〉 more seâ—…ously they are fâ—…igne to câ—… away all 〈…〉 all these and to accounâ—… 〈◊〉 losse and dung 〈…〉 onely upon 〈◊〉 Christ if then they â—…y 〈…〉 â—…ercy by him Yea 〈…〉 to consider well 〈◊〉 timâ—… â—…w if ever thou open 〈◊〉 eyes 〈…〉 they 〈◊〉 then cast all these away 〈◊〉 detestation as 〈◊〉 iâ—… 〈…〉 and rest onely upon Christ 〈◊〉 Christ 〈…〉 ever thou 〈…〉 that meâ—…y 〈…〉 all good 〈◊〉 〈…〉 more time they 〈◊〉 oâ—… 〈◊〉 spend in these 〈…〉 more they haâ—…â—…nd 〈…〉 increase their sinne and make their condemnation the heavier and that one houre yea one minute spent in true devotion onely in the name of Christ calling upon him or thee the Father through him with the repentant Theefe upon the crosse shall bee better unto them then a thousand yeare spent in their superstitious manner And for this cause Oâ—…â—…ere Father seeing by their doctrines and devotions they can neuer have that true iustisying and saying faith whereby they might bee made partakerâ—… of â—…esus Christ and so â—…e thy children having thy 〈◊〉 and love and doing such workes as are pleasing 〈◊〉 unto thee but 〈◊〉 they doe by all 〈◊〉 scorne and persecute 〈◊〉 â—…aith make them all which belong to thy eternall election to know their wofull estate how they must all needs still remaine in the estate of nature and so of damnation untill they repent and turne to our Church againe Cause them Oh most holy and gracious Father to apprehend this and to bee warned in time that seeing their Religion cannot stand or continue 〈◊〉 it bee supported and holden up by lying and murder and that these two are and have beene ever the principall adâ—…ancers of it iâ—… aâ—… Ages and Countryes that this is notoriously knowne to all who will not shâ—…t their eyes And moreover â—…eing thâ—… this is also their doctrine so to promote and advance it That that Religion is undoubtedly of the devill and that our Saviour himselfe hath in mercy so forewarned them of it that they may get them out of Babylon and stand farre from it for feare of her burning and that they may escape her torment Lord make them able to concâ—… that these things being so as their owne hearts must needs beare witnesse if they will suffer their eyes to be opened they must of necessity renounce that Religion or else prosesse themselves to bee of their father the devill as much as ever were the Iewes who sought so to kill our Saviour and that they will 〈◊〉 his workes wittingly and obstinately fighting against thee our blessed Lord and Captaine and against all thy armyes to their utter perdition Good Father make them able to thinke what they will do at that day when thy Son Christ Iesus shall come to take vengeance of all his enemies when all the Kings and greatest Monarchs of the earth who have not helped him and his 〈◊〉 to the advancement of his heavenly Gospell shall â—…ry to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and mountaines to fall upon them and cover them from the face of the Lambe and of him that 〈◊〉 upon the throne â—…hen the 〈◊〉 their â—…ther 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all his children that have bene deceived by him â—…nd especially they wâ—…o haâ—… 〈◊〉 for him against ouâ—… 〈◊〉 Iesus Christ and his 〈◊〉 must beâ—… 〈◊〉 and boâ—… and â—…ast 〈◊〉 him into thâ—… 〈◊〉 that 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 and brimstone to bee 〈◊〉 with him for evermoâ—…e Lord make them to consider of all these things in time to weigh well our 〈◊〉 of life and their way of life our rulâ—… of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 devotions and their rule of prayers and devotions to weigh and try them in the 〈◊〉 of the Sanctuary whether will outweigh and whether are more agreeable to thy holy word whereby they and wee all must bee weighed and judged So vouchsafe this grace to all other who are wavering or doubting to thinke seriously of all these things to try them all by thy blessed word by that true weight that heavenly fire which will consume all their timber hay stubble Make them to bee afraid of conferring with or hearâ—…ening to the Serpent their Iesuites or other Semiâ—…ary Prests who all holding the same head their holy Father the Pope must needs bee â—…ll lâ—…d and inspired by the same spirit whatsoever shâ—…wes they make of the contrary Give them grace to be warned by the example of our first mother and keeping thy watch to goe to thee first by instant praier in all doubts and difficulties as Daniel did and after to conferre with thy heavenly word and with thy faithfull Ministers servants for resolution therein Above all grant unto all of us
impenitently for that they are both blinde and deafe They see not Gods wrath rushing on themselves much lesse can they see it rushing on others They perceyve not our sinnes Nor any tokens of Gods displeasure Nor the furie of the Churches Enemies Nor the multitude of Locusts sent out of the bottomless pit Nor heare the cryes of Gods poore children much lesse his call to repentance Gods wrath upon all such in blinding their eies hardening their hearts Esay 6. 9. 10. Rom. 11. 8. Rom. 11. 9. Esay 56. Esay 22. Especially upon all blind watchmen calling for all the beasts to destroy Psal. 14. 6. All the threatnings in the booke of God against such sins sinners are against them Not any one promise untill they repent Psal. 50 14. 15 4. Reason Every notorious sinner helpes to pull downe the vengeance on all Esay 5. 5. All excluded who have no compassion of their Bretheren in their miseryes If they doe not adventure themselve for their brethreÌ„ â—… Reason 6. None can be right helpers but onely those vvho can more lay to heart the causes of God and his people then their owne None mâ—…ete but they who indeavour to turne from every evill way Mat. 5. 29. And to receive the love of every part of Gods truth 2. Thess. 2. 10. Rom. 1. 21. Ezek. 14. 3. Though they flatter themselves God will not be mercifull to them Deut. 29. 19. Deut. 19. 20. But will give them up to be deluded 2. Thess. 2. 11. And in the end to a reprobate sense Rom. 1. 28. Ezek. 14. 14. That Gods owne Prophets shall helpe to deceive such Iohn 9. 31. Prov. 28. 9. Psal. 66. 18. None but they who in all things indeauour to be with our Saviour are true disciples Mat. 12. 30 Our danger in approaching neere to our God with out a warraÌ„t 2 Sam. 6 7. Numb 24 40 41 c. Deut. 1 41 45. Exod. 19 24. Math 22 11 12 13. Onely they who are so qualified as the Lord requires are the men whoÌ„ he cals Esay 6 8. â—… Cor. 1â—… 9. These only in a true league with God Deut. 16 17 18 19. These fit to helpe to rescue their Brethren from Sathan To stay the Lords hands Exod. 32. 20. â—…4 To whom he can deny nothing These fit to fetch Gods people out of Egypt Thesemeet to pacific the Lord and to stand betweene the living and dead To hold up their hands against Amalek To make all creatures to be for his people untill he haue got himselfe the victory Heb. 11. 1. King 18 38 39. To move the Lord to manifest the truth of his religion 1. King 18 36 37 38 39. Dan 3 6. To reuerse Hamans dedecree Hest. 8 5 6. Hest. 7 8. Hest. 8 18. The prayers of these ever come up before the Lord and they may surely expect an answere in his due time Acts. 10 10 11 12 c 30. Dan. 9 20 23 24. These may hope with Paul to save themselues and all in the ship Acts. 27 24. With these will Christ Iesus be in the fiery Furnace and the Lyons den Dan. 3 24 25. Dan. 6. 22 23. And in their greatest tryals make their innocency his religion knowen Dan. 3 29 30 31 c. Dan. 4 33 34 Dan 6 22 23. Conclusion of this generall Meditation Who meete How we must strives heereto And what confident boldness we may then have Iam. 1 7. The blessed estate and honour of all admitted to this worke and contrarily God excludes none but who exclude themselvess But cals all That all are iustly damned who come not to helpe Some reasons shewing that he cals all to helpe if ever they will see his face with ioy He cals all to be with him He cals all to regard him in his members Mat. 25. To repent turne from all their evill wayes that they may live Rom. 10. 20. 21. Ezek 18. 21 22 30 31 32 c. 33 11. The Lords protestation He calls all to his Covenant Lev. 26. Deut. 28. He calls all to pray as he hath directed God calls all to lay hold of all the promises of mercy Without limitation of time Ezek. 18. 21. 22. Psal. 95 7. Or exception of sinne Ezek. â—…8 Esay 55. 3. Or person Numb 21. 8. 9. Iohn 3. 14. 15. 18. And calls all to behold all the examples in his booke of receiving poore sinners Luk. 15. 10. The favour such are in upon their repentance Luke 7. 47. Never any such a one reiected Rom. 5. 20. Three things to be thought of ever untill we be of this number That the Lord hath ever stood still stands knocking at the heart of every impenitent sinner Chiefly of all in his Church By his word And Sacraments As Baptisme And the Lords supper And by the good motions of his Spirit And now at this time louder then ever By all the tokens of his displeasure Rage of the enemie Our favours This helpe More particularly â—…e stands at the heart of every one reading this or the like admonition That they would repent of their impenitencie To have their soules clensed Chiefly of ungraciousnesse in keeping out the Lord Iesus Christ will come to such a one Rev. 3. 20. 2. Cor. 3. 9. And contrarily to them who harden their hearts against Christ Iesus The sound of his calls shall ever be in their eares affrighting them Exhortation to all to heare now Dan. 4. 24. Psal. 95. 7. To thinke what it is to refuse Christs call to ioyne with Sathan and the damned Such to bethinke themselves what they will doe when Christ comes Apoc. 14 4. When all threatned against them shall be fully executed For the evidence hereof To behold the fearfull spectacles Of men tormented with horror of conscience in the Scriptures In daily examples How they are tormented in conscience for particular slips or failings How these 〈◊〉 indure the flashings of hell fire Iob. 7. 15. If it be so with these heere Though they be most deer unto the Lord. What shall become of all impenitent sinners And chiefly of all Christs enemies 1. Peter 4. 18. 19. If the righteous be scarsly saved how they If paine of a tooth be so great what shall their totall torment be These sufficient to convince all Deut. 30. 19. 20. How God sets before us life and death blessing cursing Life if we will harken to his call That we shall not need to feare Nor be dismaied for loosing all Mat. 19. 27. Mat. 10. 37. 38. Luke 14. 26. But contrarily have boldnesse Prov. 28. 1. Rom. 8 35. 36. Rom. 8. 35. 36. Be more then Conquerours Ron. â—… 37. Death and cursing in not yeelding to him Deut. 30. 19. 20. Our estate when feare shall come on â—…s of a sodaine Prou 1 27. Prou 28 1. Iob 15 20 21 22. Deut 28 63 c. 1 Sam 25 37 38. God bids us choose life Deu 30 25. 20 We cannot thinke that any one was ever reiected who